Terms of use

Last updated: October 11, 2026.

These terms apply when you use this website and when you book a water test, an installation or service with Flat Rate Water Softeners ("we", "us"). By using the website or booking work you agree to them. If you sign a written proposal, contract or work order with us, that document controls wherever it differs from this page.

Using this website

You may use this website to learn about our services, get a quote and contact us. Please give us accurate information, and do not use the website to break the law, to send us anything harmful, or to copy, scrape or overload it. The information on it is general: it describes typical homes and typical water, and it is not a recommendation for your home until we have tested your water and seen the installation site.

Quotes and online prices

A written quote is a flat price for the work it describes, and the price for that work does not change on the day. Work we find on site that was not on the quote, such as a missing softener loop, a drain line that has to be run, or a shut-off valve that fails, is quoted separately and started only once you approve it. A price from an instant quote on this website is based on the answers you gave; if what we find at the property is materially different, we will tell you before any work starts. Quotes are valid for the period written on them.

Water testing

An in-home water test is a screening test of the water at the tap we test, on the day we test it. It measures things like hardness, iron and pH so we can recommend and size equipment. It is not a certified laboratory analysis and it is not a determination that your water is safe to drink. Water from the same source changes with the season and, on a private well, from street to street. If you are concerned about bacteria, nitrate, lead, arsenic or other health-related contaminants, have your water tested by a state certified laboratory; we are happy to help you arrange it. Hardness figures we publish for a town come from utility reports and our own tests and are estimates until we test your water.

What water treatment equipment does

A water softener removes hardness minerals. It does not make unsafe water safe and it does not remove bacteria, nitrate or most other contaminants, which need different equipment. Salt-free conditioners reduce scale build-up but do not remove hardness. Filtration and reverse osmosis systems reduce the specific contaminants their manufacturer lists, and only while filters and membranes are replaced on schedule. Results depend on your water staying broadly similar to what we measured.

Appointments and access

We give an arrival window rather than an exact time, and we will let you know if it moves. An adult over 18 needs to be at the property, and we need safe access to the water main, a drain and a power outlet. Please tell us as early as you can if you need to reschedule. We may stop or decline work where conditions are unsafe, where existing plumbing does not meet code, or where a permit is required and cannot be obtained, and we will explain why.

Your right to cancel

If you sign a contract for goods or services at your home, federal law and the law of your state may give you the right to cancel within three business days, and in some states longer. If that right applies, the notice of cancellation we give you with the contract explains exactly how to use it. Nothing on this page reduces it.

Payment

Payment is due when the work is finished unless your quote says otherwise. We accept the payment methods shown on your invoice. A deposit, where one is taken, is applied to the final invoice. Rented equipment remains ours, and the rental agreement sets out what happens to it at the end of the term.

Financing

Where we offer financing, it is provided by independent lenders, not by us. Financing is subject to the lender’s credit approval, and the rate, term, payments and any promotional period are set by the lender in its own agreement and disclosures, which govern your loan. Read them before you sign. Advertised payment examples are examples, and the terms you are offered may differ.

Warranty

The warranty on your equipment and on our workmanship is the one written on your quote or invoice and in the manufacturer’s documentation, and the warranty section of this website summarises it. Unless that warranty says otherwise, it does not cover damage from freezing, flooding or fire, from water pressure or temperature outside the equipment’s rated limits, from running a softener without salt, from work by somebody else on the same system, or from water chemistry materially different from what we measured at installation. It may require regular maintenance. Some states do not allow limits on implied warranties, so some of these limits may not apply to you.

Content and trademarks

The text, photos, graphics and design of this website belong to Flat Rate Water Softeners or to the people who licensed them to us, and you may not reuse them without permission. Equipment brand names are the trademarks of their owners and are used only to describe what we install and service. If you send us a review, photo or comment, you allow us to use it on this website and in our marketing.

Disclaimer

This website is provided as it is. We work to keep it accurate and available, but we do not promise that it is free of errors or always online, and prices, products and promotions on it can change.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss arising from your use of this website. Our responsibility for work we perform is set out in your contract and warranty. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, including for our own negligence causing injury.

Disputes and governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the state in which the work is performed. If something goes wrong, please contact us first; most problems are fixed with a phone call and a return visit. If we cannot resolve it together, either of us may bring a claim in a court with jurisdiction where the work was performed, including small claims court.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. The date at the top shows when they last changed, and the version on this page when you book a job is the one that applies to that job.

Contact us

Questions about these terms can be sent to Flat Rate Water Softeners using the details on our Contact page (/contact).

The short answers